New Delhi: A young boy at Lahore’s Minar-e-Pakistan has a strong message for PM Imran Khan. And he is singing it with words like kasai and shaitaan. From “yeh banda kasaayi hai… (This man is a butcher)” to “banya firda hai kaptaan, yeh shaitaan da bhai hai… (He roams around like a captain but is actually devil’s brother)” — the boy’s comical take on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s song ‘Tabdeeli Aayi Re’ was peppered with his anguish towards PM Khan.
In a video clip that went viral on Friday, the boy could be seen singing in Punjabi, a dedication he readily offered to croon, at Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore, Pakistan.
Sensible kid on the streets of Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore. pic.twitter.com/ByhgYyHwMt
— Sajid Yousuf Shah (@TheSkandar) September 24, 2021
Also Read: For 20 yrs, Imran Khan had a dream. When he became PM, we got goats, cows & broken economy
What lies beyond lyrics for Imran Khan
In the one minute, forty-seven second-long video, the boy channelled his frustration with the ruling government as he cited people’s ongoing struggle with rising inflation.
After equating Khan to a ‘choro ka sardar’ (head of thieves), he criticised the ‘tabdeeli‘ (change in power) that transformed the former cricketer into the supreme figure in the country.
He went on to describe the Pakistan PM as an ‘elder brother’ to Punjab minister Abdul Aleem Khan and a ‘younger brother’ to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Jahangir Khan Tareen. Tareen was reportedly one of the top politicians accused in the sugar scandal, ‘one of the biggest scams’ under the PTI government. Last year, Khan ordered a three-member commission to probe the price hike of sugar during January 2020. In a preliminary report, the commission revealed that the sugar mills of the aforementioned politicians were among beneficiaries of the scam. It comes as no surprise that the kid calls Tareen a ‘cheeni chor’.
In the next few lines, he goes on to share how his sister and brother reassure him and hope Imran Khan pays for his ‘deeds’.
Also Read: Pakistani TV, plays and movies can’t get enough of Imran Khan & the dam song
From ‘praises’ to appeal for ‘Oscar’
Within minutes, the boy from Lahore was winning the Internet, with Twitter users gushing over his melodious performance, including South Asian political and military affairs scholar at Georgetown University, Christine Fair.
This is amazing! https://t.co/CuTmAziqQB
— (((Christine Fair))) (@CChristineFair) September 24, 2021
Must listen to this kid sing 'Tabdeeli Raas Na Aayi' at Minar e Pakistan, Lahore. pic.twitter.com/l3QqSI3R7J
— Fayak Wani🇮🇳 (@Fayak_Wani1) September 24, 2021
A Twitter user was quick to claim that the child’s name was Ali Haider, and that he hailed from Chungi Amar Sidhu in Lahore. His family is reportedly battling financial problems, resulting in young Ali expressing his ‘anger’ through his satirical poem.
Kid's name is Ali Haider. His father, Amir, is part of our organization (HKM) from Chungi Amar Siddhu, Lahore. The family is struggling to pay rents & afford Ali's education since Amir bhai lost his job 2 yrs ago. Behind the comic lyrics, there is genuine, raw anger of the poor. https://t.co/vOKa8vhdB4
— Ammar Ali Jan (@ammaralijan) September 24, 2021
Another user hoped for the kid to ‘go places’ and hopefully, not get into trouble for taking Imran Khan-government to the task. While others even endorsed him for ‘Oscar’ as opposed to The Grammys, given away for singing.
This boy is going places… hopefully better places 😂😂😂 (via @RazaDharijo) pic.twitter.com/So0SeGB5kG
— Hasan Zaidi (@hyzaidi) September 24, 2021
Can we please give him an Oscar after telling him k beta galat politics hai apki https://t.co/jPXtcwYrOL
— theonlyareebayouknow (@areeba_fasihi) September 24, 2021
One Asad Ali Toor took this opportunity to express his dissent towards the incumbent government. “Qayamat tu aa sakti hai 2023 mein but Imran Khan nahi aa sakta iktedar mein.. (Doomsday can arrive in 2023 but Imran Khan must not come to power again)” — he tweeted in Urdu.
توبہ توبہ اسٹیبلشمنٹ سوچ رہی کہ اِس کپتان کو مزید پانچ سال دلوا لے گی۔ میڈیا کا جتنا مرضی گلہ گھونٹ کر تین سال مُثبت خبریں نشر کروا لیں اور عوام کو پچاس پچاس ہزار والے یوٹیوبر رکھ کر بھی گمراہ نہ کیا جاسکا۔ قیامت تو آسلتی ہے 2023 میں لیکن عمران خان دوبارہ اقتدار میں نہیں آ سکتا! pic.twitter.com/HlDCYLcyoz
— Asad Ali Toor (@AsadAToor) September 24, 2021